Online Gambling Booms, But Credit Card Acceptance Lags

Legalized gambling is surging. Credit and debit card use has reached an all-time high. But trying to use your cards to gamble? Odds are, you’ll have a tough time.

In an era when you can use the plastic in your wallet to pay for just about anything, banks are staying cautious about allowing their customers to rack up charges at online and brick-and-mortar casinos. They worry about the liability associated with fueling gambling addiction and running afoul of government regulations, and many of their practices are holdovers from when “online gambling” was a synonym for “shady offshore casino.”